Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of W/Cu-Alloy Joints for Plasma-Facing Components Under Various Conditions

Tungsten and CuCrZr alloy have been considered as the potential candidates for armor and heat sinking materials of plasma-facing components (PFCs) because of their attractive mechanical, nuclear and physical properties. However, due to the incompatibility of the coefficient of thermal expansion and the elastic properties between the W and the Cu alloy as well as the nonhomogeneous temperature distribution in PFCs, one of the crucial issues is the generation of thermal stresses in W/CuCrZr PFCs on cooling either during fabrication or during operation of a fusion reactor. In the current work, the thermo-mechanical analysis of W/Cu-alloy joints, where a compliant OFHC-Cu with different thickness was used as an interlayer, was carried out by using finite element method (FEM) under various conditions including the fabrication process and steady and transient operation.